Real Madrid to battle Barcelona in race to sign Liverpool playmaker

The 23-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to his close friend, and national team colleague, Neymar at Barcelona but now Rafa Benitez’s Bernabeu side are tracking the former Inter Milan man.

Having seen Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez leave in recent transfer windows there is every chance that Coutinho could be lured away from Anfield, not least as Brendan Rodgers, the man who signed the creative midfielder, has now been fired.

Liverpool paid a bargain sum of £8.5m to land Coutinho back in January 2013 and the Brazilian’s value will certainly have greatly increased and the £30m Barcelona said to be in the offing will not be enough to convince the Merseyside outfit to sell arguably their most bankable asset.